Students of all backgrounds came together on Sunday morning for a worship service led by CONA veterans. The message, based off of selected passages from the Bible and Quran, stressed the importance of showing love to other delegates. Hannah Mouyal, Alabama, urged delegates to prioritize compassion.

“In all of my large-scale values, there is love… Love is the glue that binds us together in the world.”

Time was set aside at the end of the service to give delegates a chance to offer their own prayers. Delegates in the audience came up and gave prayers in languages ranging from Hindi to Hebrew. Connie Lam, Massachusetts, appreciated the unity felt during the time of prayer.

“Where I’m from, not everyone is willing to see eye to eye on religion so I loved seeing everyone go up to the podium and give prayers in different languages from different cultures.”

Delegates were able to reflect the YMCA’s values during the service by demonstrating respect to diverse beliefs.